This session will be taking a look ahead at the manifold changes facing our community in 2016. Assessing our strengths and weaknesses, it will ask and seek to answer whether we can address them effectively. Do we face 2016 in a mood of optimism or anxiety?

The 350,000 manuscript fragments recovered from the storage room (genizah) of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo have revolutionised our knowledge of the life and culture of the Jewish communities in medieval Islamic lands. This presentation will unveil on the most secretive aspects of this impressive heritage: alchemy and magic. Recipes for making gold and silver out of base metals, charms, spell, amulets and talismans will lead the audience to the discovery of one of the least known features of medieval Jewish life.